An interesting read. I've seen things posted on ATS before about 'The Baghdad Battery', as it is often referred to. There's a lot of debate on what it was actually used for and how they developed it. Pretty much all we know is that it existed. We don't even know what it was used for. (I have seen one theory that they used it to electroplate jewelry, but it is speculation)

I've been thinking that most likely the bagdad battery was invented by accident and later used as a religious trick.

With a battery like that hooked up to metal parts on idols or other religious artifacts, they could make people feel asif they got a message from the gods.

The arc of the covenant is speculated by some people to have a built in battery for the same reason, so that when you touch it, you get shocked as a fake "wrath of god" or "touch of god" kinda thing.

I could've sworn I read somewhere that the ancient Egyptians also had batteries. And lightbulbs at that.

Plus...

But this tiny voltage would surely have been ineffective against real pain

String enough of them together in parallel and you can get a good amount of voltage out of these things. 12 at 1 volt each would get you 12volts. Don't know the amount of current available. Probably not much. But string a few parallel sets in series and the available current increases with each additional set.

Originally posted by thematrix
I've been thinking that most likely the bagdad battery was invented by accident and later used as a religious trick.

why by accident? didn't the Egyptians build the pyramids? weren't Baalbeck rocks been lifted and built by very intelligent human beings? I think it was hard work which lead to this discovery.

didn't know where is the thread in the forum. can you post it directly plz. thnx

I have heard that they showed on the discovery channel the sunk city at the time of Kleopatra and they talked also about such batteries. It seems that knowledge was spread across countries, but maybe in secret.

It could have started by accident.

A 1V battery can be made with a lemon and a zinc and a copper nail as electrodes.

And if you want more voltage you link them in series, more current in parallel.